Chapter 2.1
The neighbouring Li Household was still lit up all the way till morning, with the light never going out.
Xie Lisa was a light sleeper and sensitive to light. Even with just a little disturbance she could not fall asleep. For the whole trip she hadn't been able to sleep well, and after the long and hard trip to Qing Zhou, she originally thought that she would finally be able to get a good rest. Never had she imagined that even after restlessly rolling around in bed for half the night would she still be unable to fall asleep.
The two doll-like girls were sharing a bed, and Xie Yeri helplessly held Xie Lisa's hand, pleading, "Sis, I'm tired..."
After that, Xie Lisa didn't move around as much, and instead shut her eyes tightly throughout the whole night, but only at dawn did she manage to force herself to fall into a fitful sleep.
Xie Yeri, on the other hand, had slept well, and woke up early in the morning. Seeing her sister still fast asleep, she pulled on her sleeve, wanting to wake her up. Just then, the maid Shuang Yu stopped her, saying, "Yesterday Second Miss stayed up until very late. Third Miss, please behave and don't disturb the Second Miss. If you want, this servant will bring you to the Madame."
Shuang Yu was the maid that Dara shi had brought over from the capital. Together with Shuang Yan, she had originally been one of Dara shi's personal maid servants. Only after reaching Qing Zhou did Dara shi specially arrange for her to care of Xie Lisa and Xie Yeri, as she had been afraid that the other maids were too young and immature, and would not be able to do things satisfactorily.
The moment she heard that her sister hadn't slept well, Xie Yeri, an understanding child, immediately stopped disturbing her. She raised her arms to get carried by Shuang Yu and ordered, "Take me to find mother."
Out of the three children, Xie Yeri was the least temperamental, and the most well-behaved. Her sweet voice, paired with her pair of limpid, watery eyes, caused Shuang Yu to find her very adorable. After helping her put on a light red beizi embroidered with begonias and a white threaded skirt, along with a pair of soft gold shoes, she then brought Xie Yeri to the main room.
After being with Xie Jiyong until late at night, and then having to get up and see what had transpired at the Li Household, Dara shi hadn't rested well for the whole night. When Xie Yeri arrived, she was still on her bed getting ready.
Once she was properly put together, Dara shi's beauty was even more apparent, and she seemed like an entirely different person from the day before. Her eyelids flowed nicely, making her every gesture seem flirtatious. With her glamorous eyes, she seemed to be extremely charming at a glance.
Of course, Xie Yeri was not familiar with these, and she climbed down from Shuang Yu's arms before throwing herself into her mother's embrace. "Mother, sister's still asleep!"
Afraid that she would accidentally knock into the foot of the bed, Dara shi hurriedly leaned over and held her securely. "Your sister didn't sleep well, so you aren't allowed to disturb her, understand?"
Dara shi knew the two girls' like the back of her hand. Similar to herself, Xie Lisa was an extremely light sleeper. Anyway, after reaching Qing Zhou, they no longer had to strictly get up at dawn to travel, so she might as well let her sleep for a while more.
Xie Yeri nodded her head vigorously. "I understand!"
Dara shi smiled lightly and gently pinched her small round face.
Soon enough, Xie Hanbin also arrived at the main room, alert and filled with energy. The events at the Li Household seemed to not have affected his sleep whatsoever. Shuang Yan ordered the servants to bring in breakfast. There were not only delicacies from the capital but also Qing Zhou fully occupying the whole table. While the food wasn't of the same standard as that of Duke Ding's Residence, there was a much greater variety of it, making peoples' appetites much larger.
Xie Yeri wanted to eat the walnut cheese, but due to her small body and short legs, even while sitting on the chair she simply could not reach the table, and she could only say, "I want to eat too, I want to eat..."
The little girl was incredibly anxious, and as she pulled her ears, she really made people want to laugh.
Shuang Yu rapidly picked up the walnut cheese, and after placing it in front of Xie Yeri, helped to feed it to her bit by bit.
After finishing her food, Xie Yeri was satisfied. She smiled until her eyes were almost closed shut, and did not ask for more.
Seeing the sun outside, Dara shi put down her chopsticks and told Shuang Yan to check on Xie Lisa and see if she had woken up.
Not a while later did Shuang Yan return, shaking her head.
Never mind, might as well let her sleep, Dara shi sighed. There had been no lack of bumpy roads on the way to Qing Zhou, and she pitied her delicate daughter. Since they had already arrived, a long rest was good compensation for her children.
Right after they had finished eating breakfast, Xie Jiyong just so happened to return. He thought back to the scene he had witnessed at the gate, and said, "The Li's have just sent back the physician, it seems like this time his son's illness is quite serious. Since we're neighbours now, even if we lower our heads and try to avoid them, we are still bound to meet them sooner or later. After you finish packing, come with me to visit them for a while."
Dara shi had similar thoughts, and had just been wondering of how to approach him with the topic, not expecting him to mention it first. She said, "We also can't go empty-handed. I brought over some medicinal herbs from the capital. Even though they aren't rare and precious, it's still a show of our sincerity."
Xie Jiyong nodded and agreed with her, " There are also many things in the storehouse. Later I'll tell Steward Wang to pass the key to you so you can bring some servants over to see if there's anything."
Xie Jiyong looked around, but didn't manage to find his eldest daughter. "Where's the little lamb?" He asked.
"Yesterday she was woken up by the noise, and after that she couldn't sleep well, so she's still lying in bed now." Dara shi helped him change into a green shidi-patterned robe.
Xie Jiyong suddenly felt immensely bad for his daughter, and didn't want anyone to disturb her rest. "Then she doesn't need to go with us later, and can rest at home to recuperate instead."
Dara shi laughed, "If she sleeps any longer it'll already be afternoon time."
"So what?" Xie Jiyong's treatment towards his daughters was superb, and he pampered them immensely. "Get the maid servants to look after little lamb well, if she wakes up they should prepare some small snacks for her."
Dara shi agreed, and the couple sat together to talk.
Xie Jiyong held her hands, and brushing his lips over her ear, asked, "Yesterday night did I hurt you?"
Dara shi glanced at him, and didn't answer his question. The longer she stayed silent, the more Xie Jiyong felt like provoking her, so he continued to ask, unashamed. "You've already given birth to three children, yet you don't seem to..."
Dara shi originally wanted to push him away, yet she did not expect him to move first, pressing her down on the narrow sofa.
The two of them tumbled around for a while, and after that Dara shi's hairpin was loose, and her cheeks were bright red, making her seem very attractive.
Of course, with that kind of appearance there was no way that she could go out and meet people, especially not the Li Residence, where she would be a guest. Due to this, she sat down in front of her lotus-pattern mirror to comb her hair again and changed into a sleeveless, smoky grey light robe. After she finished touching up, she told Xie Yeri and Xie Hanbin to prepare to leave.
Hearing that the Old Master Li liked calligraphy, a hobby befitting of a scholar, Dara shi picked a rosewood brush holder embellished with cranes. She also chose a few flower hairpins and headpins that were popular in the capital for Madame Li as a gift.
The two households were extremely close to each other, and not long after setting off, they reached the Li Residence.
When Xie Yeri heard that they would be visiting another fu, she was so happy that she was ready to do a dance. It was a pity that her sister wasn't there with her, otherwise she would be just as excited.
As they hadn't informed them of their visit prior to their arrival, when they reached the gates, the Li servants were rather surprised for a moment before they scrambled to welcome them inside.
Old Master Li, named Li Xiqing, was a merchant based mainly in Qing Zhou. He primarily dealt in the tea business, and his family's tea leaves were prominent in Qing Zhou. Li Xiqing was a sharp businessman, with a pair of all-knowing eyes. Fortunately his smile was incredibly sincere, and caused people to feel more comfortable around him.